Repentance & Forgiveness
Below you will find a summary of this week’s teaching, along with daily prayer prompts. You can also download a printable version of the daily prompts.
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Beholding Jesus makes us say, “As I walk with You, I want to become more like You.” He responds by leading us on the path of righteousness. He doesn’t love us more or less on our worst day or our best day… but when we are in sin, out of alignment with His ways, there is a blockage preventing us from hearing Him and receiving from Him. He is so kind and wants to help us remove that (Rom. 2:4 NIV), through the powerful tools of repentance and forgiveness.
Repentance simply means “changing our mind,” turning away from sin and toward God.
As Christians, repentance begins when we accept the free gift of salvation… but it doesn’t stop there! We become legally justified through Jesus’ righteousness, as if it’s our righteousness = this is the finished work of the Cross. The ongoing part is sanctification = the lifelong process of becoming set apart and holy just like Christ.
When we repent, we receive forgiveness… and then we can release forgiveness to others. Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matt. 6:12 NKJV).
When we understand how much mercy we need from God, we generously offer mercy to others. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt. 5:7 NIV).
We pray prayers like Psalm 139:23-24, inviting God to search our heart and make us aware of any sin we aren’t aware of
Jesus gives us a sober warning that if we hold back forgiveness from people, we hold back God from forgiving us (Matt. 6:14-15 NIV).
Forgiving others releases the debt they owe us, and entrusts the situation to the One who judges justly.
Repentance and forgiveness remove condemnation from our life, allowing us to live in and enjoy freedom through Jesus (Rom. 8:1-2 NIV).
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Prayer is simple and honest conversation with God. These prayer prompts are focused on cultivating our repentance and forgiveness. As you pray, remember that God loves to speak to us and inclines His ear to hear us as we pour out our hearts and lean in.
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Find a consistent time and place to set aside 20-30 minutes daily.
Print out the prayer prompts and Scriptures.
Invite family or roommates to join in, or find your own quiet space without distractions.
Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” and put it in the other room.
The prompts provided here are just a guide. Feel free to adjust and adapt during your prayer time.
Don’t worry if you miss one day. Just pick it up again the next day and keep going!
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Invite the Holy Spirit to examine your heart and show you any area of sin (where you have not been in alignment with God’s truth, way and life). Humbly acknowledge where you have fallen short—God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6 NKJV). The good news is, “In Him, we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that He lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding” (Eph. 1:7-8 NIV). Receive the power of Jesus’ cleansing blood and step into the freedom that He has for you today.
You may find it helpful to use this prayer as a guide or launching point to your own prayer:
Lord, thank you for the truth of Your word that “if we confess our sins, You are faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NIV). I ask you to search my heart today, invade my thought life, and make me aware of any sin in my life. I choose to confess and acknowledge the sin of __________. I renounce the sin of ________ and receive your forgiveness by the power of Your cleansing blood (because of the finished work of Christ on the Cross). I agree that I have been crucified with Christ and raised to newness of life (Gal. 2:20 NIV). According to your Word, I choose to submit to the process of being transformed by the renewing of my mind (Rom. 12:2 NIV). I declare, through the blood of Jesus, that I have been redeemed, forgiven, and set free. I am the righteousness of Christ and my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. I come into victory today that Christ paid for by His broken body and shed blood. I ask, Holy Spirit, for your continued help and power in my life to walk in freedom and victory in this area. Thank you Lord! In Jesus’ name, amen.
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Reflect on this passage today:
“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye” (Matt. 7:1-5).
Invite the Holy Spirit to highlight any area you may have judged someone else for something. Humbly repent and ask Him to reveal any area of your own heart that needs realignment. Receive His kind correction—it is out of love that He corrects us (Heb. 12:6 NIV) and calls us to be merciful (Matt. 5:7 NIV).
You may find it helpful to use this prayer as a guide or launching point to your own prayer:
Lord, thank you for Your kindness in showing me where my heart was out of line. I repent for judging ____________, and I invite your Holy Spirit to search me and reveal any wicked way within me (Ps. 139:23-24 NKJV). Make me aware of any blind spots or unknown sin. I want to be totally clean before Your eyes. Thank you for Your great love for me—for leading me into greater freedom and purity and holiness. I desire to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Amen.
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When Jesus is the center of our lives and we are yielding to Him, we can expect the Holy Spirit to continually lead us into a place of wholeness in our hearts—especially in the area of broken relationships. Forgiveness is not a feeling but a decision of our will—the emotions will follow. When we forgive others who have wronged us, we are not saying what they did was right or OK, but we are canceling the debt that they owe us… just as Jesus graciously canceled our debt of sin.
Ask the Lord today if there is someone you need to forgive, release, and bless. Forgiveness is a huge key that paves the way to freedom in our lives. It is necessary and God requires it of us. We receive it from Him and we are asked to grant it freely to others. The Lord does not expect us to forgive in our own power, but rather, He empowers us by His Holy Spirit, as we surrender to Him. “And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25 NIV).
As you slowly and reflectively pray, allow specific people or situations to come up that you need to forgive. You may find it helpful to use this prayer as a guide or launching point.
Holy Spirit, bring to my mind anyone to whom I have anger, bitterness, or resentment towards, so that I can release forgiveness. Thank You for how You have forgiven me. I ask for Your help now to forgive. I forgive __________ for any hurt and pain they brought into my life, knowingly or unknowingly, especially for _________. I forgive them for any and all abuses, unkind acts and words, hurts, and deprivations that wounded me and caused me to believe lies about myself, especially that I was ________. Lord, I forgive them today for all offenses. I choose to forgive and release them to You. I now pray a blessing on _________. Lord, show them your love and pour out Your grace upon them. Do something special for them today. Thank you, Lord. I praise You. Amen.
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Oftentimes, one of the people we need to forgive the most is ourselves. Ponder these thoughts from Scripture today:
“For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Rom. 8:1-2).
“Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:13-14).
Come into agreement today with the gift of forgiveness that Jesus has already bought and paid on Your behalf, and commit to releasing any condemnation, shame and guilt.
Loving Father, I choose to forgive everyone in my life, including myself, because You have forgiven me. Thank you, Lord, for Your grace to do this because You love and forgive me. I forgive myself for all my sins, faults and failings, especially ____________. I receive your cleansing blood and the grace you poured out on the Cross for me. Thank you Jesus. I love you. Amen.
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It’s beautiful and appropriate to do communion corporately, but you can also make space to do it in your private prayer time. Grab a cracker or piece of bread and a little juice. Read Isaiah 53, the whole chapter, and reflect on what Jesus took upon Himself for you. Thank Him and praise Him that He made a way for the forgiveness of your sin through His broken body and shed blood. The punishment that brought us peace was upon Him.